Before the Worst
by magical realism
Summary: Before Sunnydale, Tara Maclay and Faith Lehane were friends, then more. AU Faith/Tara. Rated K for now
1. Our eyes met

_You know, you're part-demon, I'm a demon hunter, it's all forbidden love and hot sex._

_Sounds tempting._

Faith Lehane drooped over her desk, falling asleep during History was her usual, on the days when she decided to go to class. She vaguely heard her teacher's yellow stilettos clicking towards her through the rows of desks. The girl sitting next to her, who had chosen to sit in the back of the room, quickly jostled her awake before the teacher noticed her dozing. Faith roused, annoyed at the rough awakening and wiping a drop of drool from her otherwise flawless face. As Mrs. Lewis stomped back up to the front of her class and continued her lecture, Faith smiled gratefully at the cowering blond, who nodded her "you're welcome" and then averted her eyes. The bell rang, jarringly loud, and the class quickly shuffled out the door. Faith tried to catch up the mysterious blond girl as she rushed out of the classroom, struggling to carry both her backpack and books and binders. Faith watched the uncaring students jostle the tiny girl and felt a little bit angered, despite just noticing her herself. Faith vowed to make sure that this chick got noticed and respected, even if it meant having to come to school for the majority of the week.

"So what's your name?" Asked Faith, suddenly materializing in front of the girl during lunch. She looked up, surprised at being noticed. "Uh, um, Tara. Maclay. You meant first and last, right?" She moved to get up. Faith put her hand on Tara's shoulder and almost shoved her back into a seated position. "Well, I'm Faith Lehane." She sat down next to Tara, ignoring the shy girl's amazement. Faith pulled out her brown paper bag lunch and started noisily eating while Tara watched, transfixed. "So," Faith started through a mouthful, "You come here often?" She asked, eyeing Tara. She realized Tara had a really sweet figure through all her frumpy clothes. Tara giggled. "F-five out of the seven days." She still wouldn't make eye contact. Faith looked confused. "_Why_?" Tara shook her head and continued to peel off the crusts of her sandwich. "I like school, I-I guess." Tara confessed. Faith nodded politely, not fully understanding. "I repeat the question of _why_?" Tara laughed, "Cuz I'm a nerd, I guess." "I never would have guessed." Quipped Faith, but then she saw Tara's face fall. "I was kidding!" She back-peddled. "It's okay." Tara whispered. Faith felt a surge of emotions. "No. No, it's not. That was rude and I'm sorry." Faith finished urgently. She got the feeling that Tara didn't get apologized to a lot. "So, wanna hang out tonight?" She asked. Tara almost doubled over in shock. "What?" The bell rang before Faith could speak, but she quickly wrote the address of a club down and slid it across the small table to Tara. "Dress fancy." She commanded as she got up, not throwing her trash away. Tara grabbed the address and both their trash, contemplating the invitation.

Why the hell was Tara Maclay standing in a smoky club wearing a light pink party dress and looking as though she was about to vomit? Because she was getting stood up by her "friend" of course. Tears flooded her eyes as she realized Faith wasn't coming. She moved to leave the room, but someone knocked into her. That was it, she let a warm tear fall. "Tara? Whoa, hot damn." Said Faith as she knocked into Tara. The she noticed her tears. "What's wrong? Hotties like you have no reason to cry!" She placed a hand on Tara's shoulder. "You're very late." Tara coldly informed her. Faith furrowed her brow. "Only twenty minutes. Sorry blondie. Can I make it up with a dance?" She asked. Tara smiled broadly and shook her head yes. Faith offered her hand, and Tara took it. The two girls moved onto the dance floor, gyrating together. Pink satin against black leather, moving in sync on a packed floor. After a few songs and a sufficient amount of sweat, the girls sat at the bar, sipping drinks. Iced tea for Tara and a vodka cranberry for Faith. "That-that was fun." Tara admitted as she watched the dark girl pull her hair off her sweaty neck. Tara caught Faith's gaze and quickly looked away. "You can hold your own on a dance floor, Maclay." Complimented Faith, who noticed a blush rise in the girl's cheeks. "Really? Thanks." Tara fiddled with her straw. "Anyway, thanks for- for making me c-come here tonight. I don't usually go out. This is the first time I've ever, had something-someone resembling a friend. Before." Tara confessed. Faith nodded, realizing why she had become so drawn to Tara in the first place. "Me neither." She admitted, straining her voice above the loud music but failing to keep the shame out of it. "But I guess I should tell you, I'm not gonna be a normal friend. I'm kind of a vampire slayer." She said, hoping she didn't sound as crazy as her job was. She also noted the lack of a stunned expression on her new friend's face.


	2. She's in my world

"Oh-oh. Really? I've heard of those. Of them. Of you, I mean." Tara explained.

"Seriously? How?" Faith inquired, suspicious of the girl, should she have checked for supernatural origins? How could she have missed that?

"My mother's side is very-very demonic. It's dormant though. I mean, I don't know, I've just heard about them-you!" Tara answered honestly, surprised at herself for bringing up her mother and her dark secret in the same sentence. Faith laughed, enjoying Tara squirm.

"You know, it's kinda my job to kill you." Faith joked, noting the color draining from Tara's face. "Kidding." She smiled as Tara touched her flushed cheeks with relief. "You'd be too easy anyway." Faith challenged.

"Easy!" Scoffed Tara. "If one word doesn't describe Tara Maclay, well, you know, that one word is easy."

Faith made a show of looking Tara up and down, twice for good measure, before replying, "Yeah, I can see that. Do you own any dresses that aren't your mother's?" Teased Faith. She regretted her tone as soon as a forlorn look flashed across Tara's face. "I have to go." The blond girl whispered as she abandoned her bar stool. Faith sighed, a little annoyed by her friend's moodiness, but started to chase her down and out of the club. Once both girls were standing in the cool night air, a faint breeze tickling their sweaty skin, Tara spoke.

"My mom died a few months ago." She sighed as she spoke, locking eyes with Faith. A look of understanding and empathy shown in Faith's eyes. "Wow, I am so sorry, T." She said, lowering her voice to her "serious tone." "Why are you apologizing? Did you kill her or something?" Tara laughed bitterly. Then realized that if Faith was a demon-hunter, there was a good chance that she could of. "you-you didn't, did you?" She asked, putting her coat on. Faith's eyes widened.

"What? Of course not? No, probably not!" Faith let the realization that her only friend had just quasi-accused her of killing her mother hit her. She found this comical. Faith dissolved into laughter, bending down and cackling. Tara joined in awkwardly, then sincerely. The two girls giggled into the night, enjoying each other's company and walking home. After they had both calmed down, Faith linked arms with Tara. "So, my little half demon, wanna come patrol with me tomorrow night? It'll be a blast." Faith offered. She was sick of patrolling alone. "I'd like that." Tara replied, and plucked the elastic out of Faith's hair, letting her brown hair fall around her and frame her face. Faith nodded, impressed at Tara's 'flirty' move. But, she could best her, she was Faith Lehane after all. Faith tucked a piece of Tara's hair behind her ear, letting her fingers graze Tara's neck. Tara smiled and licked her lips, noticing how much attention Faith was paying to her lips. "So," Tara started suggestively, "This… is my house." She said, pointing to a medium sized red brick house. Faith looked a little disappointed, but nonetheless, sucked it up.

"Kay. Cool. I'll see you tomorrow then. Wear comfortable shoes." Faith waved to Tara and departed, feeling Tara's eyes on her back.

Tara Maclay was actually running, her blood was pumping so loud she could hear it but she felt frozen at the same time. Everything was fast and everything was slow. A real, live (well, undead) vampire was chasing her. "Don't scream!" It cried out to her and Tara's eyes filled with tears. _Who convinced her that this would be fun_? She felt it's hand on her wrist, like two icicles, and it forcibly threw her back. Because it was about to kill her, she didn't have to do what it said, Tara reasoned. So she screamed as loud as she could. Suddenly another hand was on her, a warm, comforting one. Attached to the savior hand was a stake, and then the stake was plunged into the heart of the vamp. Tara watched with child-like amazement as it turned to dust. Faith looked at Tara. Tara looked at Faith. Then she wrapped her arms around Faith and collapsed. "Whoa, Nellie, honey." Faith gasped as she struggled to hold Tara up. She gave her a few pats on the back and then pushed her carefully away.

"I thought you said you were part-demon?" Faith didn't appreciate being lied to. She especially didn't like ruining the chances she had with the sweetest girl she had ever met. Tara nodded, but that really didn't clarify anything considering how violently she was shaking. "Tar?" She asked, the edge in her voice melting. "Let's sit." Tara immediately plopped down on the damp pavement, causing Faith to giggle.

"I am, but you know, I'm not good at slayage." Tara admitted. Faith nodded, drinking in how good she looked in the moonlight. It was amazing that she could elicit that kind of response from Faith in just jeans and a t-shirt. "No one starts out great at it." Faith consoled Tara as she joined her on the ground. "Except, slayers, I guess." Faith thought out loud. This caused Tara to laugh, breaking her shell-shocked exterior. Tara leaned her head on Faith's shoulder and Faith's body vibrated from Tara's manic laughter.

"I should probably go." Tara declared as she got up. "That's enough near death experience for tonight. See you in school, you know my stomping ground." And Tara was off with a seductive wink.


	3. Dark innocence

Faith was panting heavily as she proceeded to beat her punching bag with all the force her compact body had in her. Tara half watched from the sidelines as she completed both their history assignments. "How you doin' over there, brawn?" Called Tara, bemused. Faith dropped to her knees, panting and moaning. "How are you doing over _there_, brains?" Faith answered. "Don't make e sound too smart, remember." Faith reminded Tara before collapsing on the training room floor. Tara just rolled her eyes, the hint of a smile on her lips.

"I'm brains? Not beauty?" Tara questioned, pretending to be insulted. Faith gave a very un-Faith-like giggle from the middle of the floor. "We can both be beauty, silly." Faith reasoned as she pulled herself off the floor. "Wow, I'm sweaty." She complained. Tara barely heard her and instead chose to watch the arch in her glistening back. Tara nodded and proceeded to do something very un-Tara-like.

One minute Tara was on the floor, the next she was grabbing Faith by the small of her waist and pulling her in hungrily. They clumsily knocked hip bones and Faith reacted quickly, grasping for Tara's cheek. They kissed, their rosy lips pressed together, a slight flick of a tongue between teeth. And then it was over. Neither looked ashamed.

It was the naughtiest thing Tara Maclay had ever done. It was the purest thing Faith Lehane had ever felt. But it was right. When you know, you know. That was what Tara's late mother had told her, and those were words to live by. Faith smiled.

"Didn't know you had it in you, blondie." She commented, a large smile on her face.

Tara giggled. "I just fought a vampire a few nights ago, a little kiss is nothing." Tara breezed, full of bravado. Faith rolled her eyes "Don't get cocky, kid." She reminded her.

"Star Wars?" Tara sputtered in disbelief. "Whatever, princess." Faith winked and checked her hip against the blond girl's. Tara laughed and leaned in again, Faith happily met her half way and caressed her neck as they continued to kiss. Tara carefully coaxed the elastic from Faith hair so that it fell out of its high-bun and onto her shoulders. Faith started walking backwards and slammed Tara into the wall, never breaking the kiss. Tara moaned, half from pleasure and half from pain. Then she bit down gently on Faith's lip, causing her to return the sound effect. "Tar-" Faith whispered as blondie moved her lips onto Faith's soft neck, pausing to bite slightly where neck turned into shoulder. "Tara! I need to train!" Cried Faith as she broke away. Tara looked visibly disappointed at the mini-rejection but laughed instead. "I'll finish the assignment." Tara decided out loud, returning to her spot in the floor. Faith looked at Tara with a kind of adoration she had never seen before.

"Here's lookin' at you kid." She smiled, clapping her hands.

They both laughed. Faith started enjoying the sun from the small window on her face and the taste of Tara on her lips.


End file.
